Closet.



A. D. FULLER.

` oLosET.

APPLICIA'JIIONl FILED SEPT. 6, 1908.

Patented Mar.8,1910. F 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. D. FULLER.

cLosET.` APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1906.

`Patented Mar. 8, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEsgFENT OFFICE.

'f n. FULLER, or wxnrrnnn, Massnenusnr'rs.

GLOSET.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ANDREW 1)..FULLER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Wakefield, in the county'of yMiddlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have inevented an Improvement in Closets, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanylng drawings, is:a specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.l

This invention relates to water closets and to urinals and with regardto the former it more particularly relates to` that type thereof inwhich the user assumes a snuatting or stooping position. Such type ocloset, however, 1s extremely objectionable without the provision ofiiushing or draining means therefor, which it is one of the aims of myinvention to provide.

rin object'of lthat part of my invention relating to urinals, istoprovide means for rendering the same clean and sanitary as .by theprovision of an effective flushing or .drainage system which may berendered thorough by including the flushing or drainage of the standingsurface for the user or portions adjacent thereto.

In 'the type or embodiment of ,my invention herein resented Figure 1 isa horizontal sectiona view 4u en the dotted line- 3-3 .of Fi `3, of a coset having my invention app ied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionalvlew upon the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view of the closet upon the dotted line 1-1 of Fi 1, and forconvenience of illustra tion s owing in the same figure a urinal havingone type of my invention applied thereto.

Having reference to thattype 4or embodiv ment of my invention hereinpresented to ldisclose the principles of my invention, the base or fecesreceiving surface is represented at 1, it bein of any suitable material,but preferab y formed of an im.

-pervious material such, for example, as vitrified china, porcelain,slate, enameled iron, etc. The said base is preferably integrally castand is herein shown as having a depending lower ede 2, whereby it may bereceived upon the oorng or other 'sup port 3, and suitably communicatinwith the plumbing system, to which en it is harem shown as havingtherein an opening for the discharge. casting 4 of the closetSpeciucation of Letters Patent. I

Application led September 6, 1906. Serial No. 333,413.

communicatiugin any preferred manner as by the outlet 5 preferably witha plumbing system, s uch casting 4-bem of any suitable material such,for examp e, as enameled iron. Anyjpreferred manner of uniting the fecesreceiving base with the discharge castin may be employed. In the presentembo iment of t e invention the two are Patented M3128, 1910 shown ashaving a dovetailed connection 6.

I vcontemplate the employment'of means for flushing the feces receivingsurface and -to that end may employ any suitable arrangement of deviceswhereby the same may be flushed eithero durin the use of the closet orat any proper perio before' or thereafter. As a preferred means to iushlthe said surface I have, in this embodimentof the invention, shown thefeces receiving casting 1 as provided at a suitable point with afiushing rim 7, having therein a` encirclin water su ply passage 8provide at suitab e interva s with discharge openings 9 andcommunicating with a source of water or iiushi'ng medium supply which isshown in Fi 2 as located beneath the liooringat 10 an communicati'ng bysuitable pipeswith the flushing rim. The liushingl rim, if this type offlushing means be emp oyed, may if desired bein open communication withthe source 'of water supply or a valve may be provided to be operatedeither automatically, or otherwlse.- y

In order that the closet may be used by vone when assuming a squattingor erouching erence to the feces receiving surface that the body of the-user when crouched upon the said sup ort or supports may be. properlyresented) with regard to the saidsurface.

n the present type of the invention I have shown separated foot supports11 and 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the user1 assuming theproperposition thereon preferably with his face to the right viewing Fig. 1.While a single foot support may be used, I preferably employ two, asshown, and Whlle the same may be located in any proper position relativeto the feces receiving surface to permit the described operation of thecloset, I preferably locate the said support or supports within theboundary of t e ilushed or casting 1 but they may be otherwise formedand secured in an vdesired manner. They are also preferab y, as shown inFig. 2, raised from the face of the said surface, which is herein shownas sloping downward from all sides to the discharge outlet or outlets.The upper surface of the foot support or supports may be fashioned inany desired manner but are herein shown as corru ated or roughened toprovide a firmer foot old. If desired, and as here shown, the said footsupports may have u standing surroundin rims preferablv per orated andbe face with some pre erably rough material, such as rubber, waxedfiber, or the like, to secure easier and firmer footing, and may beprovided with de ending gulding rims as shown. The upturned) perforatedrims protect the foot-rests against the splashing of Water while theperforations permit them to be flushed and drained when desired andthereby kept clean and sanitary. The location of the foot-rests so as tobe entirely surrounded by the flushed and drained area keeps them andadjacent surfaces clean and free from all foulness. If desired,removable foot pieces, impervious or otherwise, may be provided for thefoot receiving surfaces.

In order to drain or flush the feces receiving surface water or otheriiushing medium may be supplied in any desired manner to any suitableform of flushing device. To render the closet thoroughly sanita Ipreferably em loy means whereby the c oset may be fiushe while in use,either by a constantly flowing stream of flushing medium or by automatlcor other means for flushing during use of the closet. When a flushingrim is employed, as herein shown, I referably provlde automatic meansfor ushing the surface, though it is obvious that a constantly flowingstream may be emlployed, and as a type of such iushin means ave hereinshown a valve 13, pre erably located in a suitable valve casing 14;,preferably connected with the water entrance ipe 10, the valve stembeing shown as exten ed upward and receiving upon the upper and prefer-50' ably enlarged end 15 thereof the vertically movable valve operatingmember 16 whic may be provided at any suitable or convenient point, butwhich I have herein shown as located upon one of the foot supports, ashaving a de ending flan e 17 an as normally space above the oot supportby a suitable coiled spring 18, surroundin the valve stem and normallyacting to hol the valve in a closed ositlon. I ma employ any desiredtype o valve and may ocate the same at any suitable or desired point. Inthe described construction the iiushing will continue so long as theuser maintains his position upon the foot su ports but if desired anyother form of ius mg device, whether automatic or otherwise, may beemployed and to that end in Fig. 3 is represented as a single tyethereof,a iiushing tank 19, havnig a depen ing chain or other operatingmeans 20 b which the iushing medium may be supp ied to the iushing rim 7or in any other siutable manner to the feces receiving surface or anydesired portion thereof. While the flushing medium may be applied toonly a limited portion of the feces receiving surface yet I preferablysupply the entire area of said surface therewith in order to kee thecloset in a sanitary condition and to thls end the flushing rim is shownin Fig. 1 as entirely encircling thereceiving surface.

If desired, the water closet may be used also as a ,urinal and to thatend any suitable urinary apparatus may be provided, but in thisembodiment of the invention I contemplate the use of one wall of thecloset for urinary purposes and (Figs. 2 and 3) have shown the wall 21as adapted for that purpose, the same being preferably and as hereinshown opposite the door 22 of the closet so that the user stands uponfoot supports l1 and 12 and facing in an opposite 'dlrection to thatassumed when using the closet as such. In order to facilitate the use ofthe device as a urinal when the latter is located as herein shown, thefoot su ports 11 and 12 may be placed in pai-alle position instead ofslightly diverglng as shown so as to adapt the same for convenient usefor either purpose.

It is apparent that a urinal of the type shown or of any other desiredtype may be used independently of the closet, that is, that it iscapable of general use as a urinal. In that type of urinal wherein avertical wall is employed, as well as in that type of urinal known asthe attached wall urinal, whereinabowl is suitably secured to a wall, itis a common practice to iiush or drain the wall or the bowl or attachedwall type of urinal as by a horizontally dis osed pipe placed a suitabledistance above t e lower edge of the wall or above the receiving surfaceof the bowl or attached wall type of urinal, from which water constantlyflows down its urine receiving surface. Thls type of urinal is objectionable for 011e reason in that the iooring in the vicinity of theurinal becomes 'foul and unsanitary in spite of the iushinfr -referredto, the water employed for which is generally conducted off by a narrowtrough at the base thereof. Again, urinals of every type are liable tobecome foul and unsanitary at the base thereof because of the lack ofadequate liushing means. But especially and in order" that a urinal ofthe bowl or attached wall t pe, or any other suitable type, may be toroughly sanitary it is highly desirable that the surface thereof may e`wet with a flushing medium when used and that the urine be not receivedupon a dry surface. The after flushing of the used surface does notresult in a sanitary `urmal. `and other ob `|ect1ons, and in order torender '10 overcome the above enumerated the urinal thoroughly sanitary,I herein not only flush the standing surface for the user of a urinal,or parts adjacent thereto, but I also flush the receiving surfaces ofthe urinal, of whatsoever type employed, in such a manner that the saidsurface is' wet with a flushing medium when the urine is receivedthereon, in contra-distinction to permittmg the urine to be receivedupon an otherwise dry surface which is afterward flushed. lIn thepresent embodiment of the invention I contemplate accomplishing thisobject by automatically flushlng the receiving surface of the urinal asthe same is used. Thus in applyin my invention either to a urinal of thebow or attached wall type or to the type of urinal herein shown, Ipreferably not only Hush the urine receiving surface as the urinal isused, and preferably automatically through the foot of the user, but Ipreferably tlnsh the base or standing portlon for the user in thevicinity of the wall serving as a urinal or whereon the urinal isattached, preferably providing in the flushed area of the base orclosely adjacent thereto suitable and preferably non-Hushed footsupports. By this arrangement the urinal and its surroundings are keptin a sanitary condition. In flushing adjacent surfaces, I Amay employ aconstantly flowing stream of flushing medium, or may employ automatic orother means for flushing such surface or surfaces at intervals, but Ihave herein shown means for automatically iushing the same during use.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the automaticallycontrolled flushing pipe (Fig. 2)' leading to the flushing rim 9 has anupwardly leading extension having suitable connection with thehorizontal perforated pipe 25 located at the front o the urine-receivingwall 21 so that the automatic iiushing of this surface at the time ofits use is secured. It will be seen that, while this provides for thesanitary flushing of the urine-receiving wall while it is in use, thewater is automatically shut olf at all times when the urinal is out ofuse.

If desired, the constant supplyA of flushing water referred to may beapplied to the wall 21. through the tank supply pipe which latter isprovided with a downturned portion (Fig. 3) connected to the perforatedpipe 25 through the valve 23 by which it may be shut otl' or turned onas desired.

The closet is ireferably provided with four inclosing walls, as shown inFig. 1, one of which is herein desi ed as a urinal, the wall 21 adaptedfor this purpose having an overlapping rim 24 either at its lower edgeonly or upon the sides also, to alord a sanitary connection between thesame and the receiving portion thereof which in the presy Having thusdescribed one type of embodiment of myinvention and the principles ofuse thereof, I wish it to be understood that although I have describedthe same specifically yet the descriptive terms are used in theirgeneric sense and not as a matter of limitatlon and that the inventionis set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. A water closet having an outlet, a feces receiving receptaclecommunicating therewith, a oot support located within said receptacle topermit use of the closet in a squatting position, and 'automatic meansfor flushing said receptacle dependent for its operation on the use ofsaid closet.

2. A water closet having an outlet, a feces receiving receptaclecommunicating therewith, a foot support for the user located within thelimits of said surface, and means operatively connected with said footsupporit for automatically liushing said receptac e.

3. A water closet having an outlet, a feces receiving surfacecommunicating therewith, means for supplying a flushing medium to saidsurface, a foot support located with relation to said surface to permitthe use thereof in a squatting position, a valve for controlling thedischarge of said Hushing medium, a normally elevated late mounted uponsaid foot support and a apted to be depressed by the user to open saidvalve. l

4. A combined water closet and urinal having an'outlet, a fecesreceiving surface communicating therewith, means for draining saidsurface, a foot support within the limit-s thereof and an uprighturinary surface also in communication with said outlet.

5. A urinal having a draining area, footsupporting means within thedraining area, iushing means for the drained area and means controlledby the foot-supporting means for operating said flushing means wherebythe said area is flushed during the use of the Same. i

6. A urinal having a draining area, footsupporting means within saidarea,` a urinereceivin surface and flushing means both for the rainingarea and-said urine-receiving surface automatically operated by saidfoot-supportin means.

7. A urinal av' a drainable area, footsupporting means t ereon, andmeans for automatically flushing the said area about said foot-supportsduring the time that the latter are occupied.

8. A urinal having a foot-su port, means said drainable area andautomatic ushing upon which the same is mounte for sliding meansconnected to be operated by said footmovement to an elevated ordepressed pos1- su porting means. tion, said support having a close2sliding. fit n testimony whereof, I have signed my f. upon said meansfor the exclusion of forname to this specification, in the presence of15 eign matter and automatic ushing means two subscribing witnesses.

connected to be operated by said slidable ANDREW D. FULLER.foot-support. y Witnesses 9. A urinal having a drainable area, foot-THOMAS B. BOOTH;

l 10 supporting means entirely surrounded by ARTHUR E. CARSON.

